1700-yr-old Stratford-upon-Avon African skeleton found was Roman troop

LONDON - Archaeologists believe that a 1700-year-old skeleton of an African man found in Stratford-upon-Avon shows that he was in fact, a Roman soldier.

The skeleton was discovered buried in Tiddington Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 2009 and is believed to have been a Roman troop who chose to retire in Stratford after serving in an African unit.

“African skeletons have previously been found in large Romano-British towns like York and African units are known to have formed part of the Hadrian’s Wall garrison, but we had no reason to expect any in Warwickshire and certainly not in a community as small as Roman Stratford,” the BBC quoted Stuart Palmer, from Archaeology Warwickshire, as saying.

Palmer added that the bones indicated that the man was of a heavy built and was used to carrying heavy loads.

“His teeth showed that his childhood was plagued by disease or malnutrition, but there was no evidence for the cause of death,” Palmer said.

“He could have been a merchant, although, based on the evidence of the skeletal pathology it is probably more likely that he was a slave or an army veteran who retired to Stratford.” (ANI)